Hair Loss News

Caffeine is being used as an ingredient in some hair loss shampoos. The reason for this is that an in-vitro study was done where follicles were treated with a caffeine solution and it was found that caffeine blocks the effects of a DHT, the hormone that causes Male Pattern Baldness and damages the hair follicles

Dr Fischer, who conducted the first trial, took scalp biopsies from 14 men in the early stages of hair loss. He extracted the hair follicles and then placed them in test tubes with solutions containing different levels of caffeine.  The follicles that were being treated with caffeine saw their average growth increase by around 46 per cent and the life cycle of the hair extended by 37 per cent, when compared to the control group.

This study prompted some manufacturers to add caffeine to their hair loss products.

In this study, researchers in Germany wanted to see if topically applied caffeine could be delivered to the follicle when being part of a shampoo.

According to their study they were able to prove that after 2 minutes of shampooing, the caffeine in the shampoo was able to penetrate into the scalp via the hair follicles and stratum corneum (the outermost layer of the skin).

This proves that shampoo is an effective delivery vehicle for caffeine, provided that it’s left on the scalp for 2 minutes or more.

Follicular Penetration of Topically Applied Caffeine via a Shampoo Formulation.

Skin Pharmacol Physiol. 2007 Mar 29;20(4):195-198
Otberg N, Teichmann A, Rasuljev U, Sinkgraven R, Sterry W, Lademann J.
Center of Experimental and Applied Cutaneous Physiology, Department of Dermatology, Charite-Universitatsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.

Aims: Follicular drug delivery is the prerequisite for an effective treatment of androgenetic alopecia or other reasons of premature hair loss.

Methods: The follicular penetration of caffeine, applied topically in a shampoo formulation for 2 min, was measured with highly sensitive surface ionization in combination with mass spectroscopy, a selective method for the detection of very small quantities of transcutaneously absorbed substances in the blood. An experimental protocol, developed to selectively block the follicular pathway within the test area, was used. Based on this principle, a clear distinction between interfollicular and follicular penetration of topically applied caffeine was feasible.

Results: After 2 min, caffeine penetrated via the hair follicles and stratum corneum.

Conclusion: It was found that the penetration via hair follicles was faster and higher compared with the interfollicular route and that hair follicles are the only pathway for fast caffeine absorption during the first 20 min after application.

Copyright (c) 2007 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Source: PMID 17396054